Shadow Effect - 27. Chapter 27

Tyler couldn’t put a finger on it, but he was uneasy as he watched Elijah fly out of the van and alighted on the top of the so-called studio storefront. It wasn’t a sense of danger that he felt. If it was, he wouldn’t have let them come this far. No, it was more like a sense of foreboding. Trepidation filled him as he settled in to wait.

During their last few days of preparation, Sebastian repeatedly cautioned every team member it was more than likely a few of the pups wouldn’t survive. The driving factor of their decision to go after the more recently abducted pups was the higher odds of survival. Tyler silently said a prayer to a long-ago abandoned God. Please let them be okay.

He locked the van doors as he pulled out his phone. He didn’t want to be parked in this area for more than a few minutes. We’re ready, he texted.

No more than two minutes later, Sebastian’s reply came through.

It’s a go.

He flicked the headlights on and off, and after glancing around, was relieved to see the immediate area was deserted. He ignored the drug deals going down on several corners he passed. He felt pity for the prostitutes, both male, and female, as they tried to entice the occupants of every passing vehicle that stopped. Some of them looked to be the same age as his younger siblings. It saddened him to know so many of them were on the streets because their families had abandoned them for one reason or another. It was a scene that played out in cities all over the country every day.

Following the soothing voice of the GPS, Tyler drove until he saw the bright neon lights advertising the latest releases on the big screen. He turned left and reversed into a parking spot along the back row; further away from the building and less crowded. He opened the windows and shut off the engine to wait. A soft, warm breeze ruffled his hair now and again. The worst heat of the day had already dissipated.

Tyler stayed alert. His view allowed him to watch the comings and goings of the traffic and people on the street next to the theater. Minutes ticked by. After a half hour, his uneasiness grew. He felt ready to jump out of his skin. Just as he was about to return to the studio, a flurry of feathers startled him out of his skin.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Elijah!” he yelled, adrenaline surging through his veins as a fight or flight instinct threatened to overwhelm him.

“GO!”

Elijah had flown through the window, landed in the back, and shifted to human before Tyler had a chance to start the engine and roll the tinted windows back up. It practically guaranteed no one would see what happened. Tyler turned around and saw the look of panic on Elijah’s pale face. Without thinking, he went into flight mode.

Tyler’s heart hammered as he drove away quickly, but not so fast as to draw attention to himself, and headed back to the condo. He heard the rustling sounds of Elijah pulling on his clothes in the backseat, then the soft sound of his friend’s sobs.

Oh shit! Neall was dead. It was the only explanation.

The ride back was silent. No words needed to be spoken yet. Tyler’s natural instinct to protect his friend was in overdrive, and the urge to comfort him was pulling insistently at his brain. He drove the van as fast as he dared, hitting most of the lights green along the way. Thank fuck for small miracles.

His anxiety ratcheted up a notch as he pulled into the condo’s parking space. Elijah was staring out the window at nothing in particular. Tyler was worried about his best friend’s mental state.

“Come on, let’s get you upstairs and you can tell me what happened.”

Elijah followed on autopilot. Once in the condo, Tyler guided Elijah to the couch and then went into the kitchen to make coffee. He knew neither of them was going to get much sleep, so the caffeine wouldn’t make any difference. While he waited for it to brew, he grabbed two mugs, poured in some creamer, and added a generous shot of vanilla Crown to both.

Beverages in hand, he padded barefoot back to the living room, handing Elijah his mug. Tyler nodded at the grateful look his friend gave him after taking a sip and registering the alcohol in it.

“Let’s FaceTime Sebastian. That way, you won’t have to explain things twice.”

Elijah nodded. An unsettling disquiet surrounded his friend.

Tyler pulled out his phone, putting it on speaker, knowing even at the late hour, the Alpha would answer.

“Is everything okay?” Sebastian asked, connecting the call after the first ring.

“I’ll let Elijah explain,” Tyler said, as he propped the phone on the table so Sebastian could see both of them.

It took a moment for Elijah to gather himself enough to speak. When he did, his voice cracked. “Neall’s dead.”

“Dammit,” Sebastian cursed.

“Are you sure?” Tyler asked.

Elijah nodded. “I’m sure. H-he had a funny cowlick, just like his mom described. His face hadn’t changed too much, either. It was him.”

“Shit,” Sebastian swore again. “I’m sorry, boys. It’s not the outcome any of us wanted, especially for one of the more recently taken pups.”

You don’t seem surprised,” Tyler commented, a sudden realization hitting him. “You don’t think we’ll find many alive, do you?”

“I’m not sure what to think, Tyler, but it’s not what you’re thinking,” Sebastian countered. “Statistically speaking, the odds are against finding many of them alive. However, we’re not dealing with human child abductions. Our pups have a higher value to these predators. I hate to say this, but they have more value alive than dead. That’s the hope we’re hanging onto.”

“We can’t leave Neall there,” Elijah stated. “He deserves better.” He recounted the harrowing details of his discovery, his voice shaking. When he finished, he asked, “What do we do now?”

“I’m going to text you a number to call,” Sebastian said. “It belongs to the local pack’s Beta, Cecil Norris. He’s with the Las Vegas PD. Tell him everything you’ve told me. He’ll confirm it’s Neall and will retrieve his body so his family can have some closure. His team will find out the cause of death too. Nat Chusi has brought in a couple of counselors who specialize in traumatic grief counseling. Neall’s family will be taken care of.”

“I feel like we should be the ones who break it to them,” Elijah said, verbalizing the same thought Tyler had.

“No,” Sebastian replied. “You guys have enough grief to deal with. Nat’s people have experience with this. They will take care of Neall’s family and pack. As a matter of fact, if either of you feels the need to speak with one of them, Nat has assured me the door is always open. I think I might consider making it mandatory if I feel any of you are having difficulty, or if it's affecting your mental or physical health.”

Sebastian’s suggestion made total sense to Tyler. If this outcome repeated itself too often, he would certainly be taking advantage of the counseling. He’d also be keeping a close eye on Elijah. Loss of life was hard to deal with for anyone, and his best friend had already seen more than his fair share. Any more and his friend’s mental health would be adversely affected.

Sebastian continued. “After you speak with Cecil, it’s up to you to decide what to do next. If you need a few days to process, don’t hesitate to take them. Logan and Cooper are following a promising lead. Ben and Zev have narrowed down a possible location, and are getting ready to move in tomorrow. I’ll keep you updated on their progress, as well as let them know what happened to Neall. I think it’s important that you share in the outcomes of each pup, whether it’s good or bad. Hearing about the good results will give you something to hang onto when news like Neall’s death happens.”

“What about Kenneman?” Elijah asked.

“He will be dealt with.”

Once again, Tyler did not envy Sebastian’s duties as an Alpha. Yes, the man had a great team backing him up. Even so, coordinating three teams attempting to locate so many missing pups must be incredibly daunting. Not to mention the need for shifters who could tackle tying up loose ends, like Kenneman. Tyler was incapable of organizing a sock drawer, let alone all the moving pieces Sebastian needed to keep track of.

Reilly appeared in the background. Sympathy and concern were etched on his handsome face. “Let me know if there’s anything you guys need. If you don’t want to speak to the counselors, my ear is always available, anytime.”

“Thanks, Ry. We appreciate it,” Elijah answered.

Tyler could hear the stress in Elijah’s voice and knew his friend was close to letting go of the fragile hold he had over his emotions. He was feeling the same way.

“We better make the call to Cecil and let him know about Neall,” Tyler said. “Neither of us wants that poor kid in that building one second longer than necessary.”

Sebastian nodded, his eyes reflecting a calm understanding. “We’ll touch base later.”

His voice cracking with grief, Elijah implored Sebastian to follow up. “Promise me you’ll find out how Neall died. When you do, make Kenneman pay. Please?”

“I promise,” the Alpha assured him.

The moment the call ended, Elijah’s tears flowed freely, silent sobs wracking his body. “I-I don’t know if I can do this Ty. He was broken, so, so broken. They must have tortured him. His parents can’t be told, it would devastate them. He had to have been there for a while. Oh Ty, the smell! I will never forget it. Never!” Elijah cried harder.

Tyler immediately pulled Elijah to him, once again letting him bawl onto his shoulder. Tears slipped down his cheeks. It was impossible not to become emotionally invested, and even more impossible not to become attached to any of these pups. A unique connection was forged, even without ever having met any of them. Reading about their backgrounds and then talking with their family created a bond.

He could only imagine the horror Elijah felt at seeing Neall’s broken, decomposing body. No one should ever have that etched into their brain. He wondered if they should reconsider being part of the search and rescue operation. He wasn’t sure if either of them could survive the mental and emotional repercussions of too many adverse outcomes. He didn’t blame Elijah for wanting the bastard Kenneman to suffer. He felt the same way.

“Hey, let’s call this Cecil guy and get it out of the way. Then you and I need to have a serious discussion, okay?’

Elijah sniffed, grabbed a couple of tissues from the box on the coffee table, blowing his nose loudly. He pulled up the text Sebastian sent and tapped the number, putting the call on speaker.

Cecil answered on the fourth ring, his voice crisp and clear. Christ, did anyone ever sleep around here?

Elijah introduced himself and explained what had happened earlier. The detective, as he identified himself, promised to get Neall’s body out of there immediately and assured them he would be treated with dignity and returned to his parents as soon as possible.

Elijah ended the call and slumped against Tyler.

“This is so much harder than I thought it was going to be. I’m not sure if I can keep going,” his friend confessed.

“I can’t disagree. So, what? Do you want to quit?” Tyler asked.

“I don’t know. Part of me does. What about you?”

“Before I answer that, let me ask you this. If the outcome was different, if you found Neall alive and were able to get him out safely, so he could be reunited with his family, would you still feel like quitting?” Tyler asked.

Elijah shook his head. “Probably not.”

“Why not?”

Elijah thought for a moment before shooting him a wry, half-hearted smile, just one corner of his mouth upturning reluctantly. “We’d be riding a high from the success.”

“Yes, we would. That’s why I think we need to keep going. We knew before we started that death was highly likely in some of these situations. We signed on knowing this. It’s our duty to follow through. Neither of us was raised to quit when things got tough. Remember Little League when we were nine?”

It was the year their team sucked so bad, that they didn’t win one single game. During the middle of the season, the taunts were so bad that more than one member of the team, Tyler included, had been taken out of the game for poor sportsman-like behavior. Two of their teammates had ejected for fighting, leaving them worse off than when they started. By the time the season ended, fourteen little boys had been ridiculed and harassed by every team in the league.“Yeah, Coach sat us down after the last game and said, ‘Now you know what disappointment tastes like. Learn to like it because this will not be the last time in your life you’ll have to deal with it. Success is sweet, but the bitterness of defeat is what will make you strive to be better. Learn from this and I guarantee, if you come back next year, you’ll have a better season.’” Elijah mimicked the gruff voice of their coach.

The next season most of the team came back and, while it would’ve been great to come away with the county championship, the reality was that they weren’t great. However, they won more games than they lost, soundly defeating a few of the teams who made fun of them the previous year, even shutting out two of them. It was a lesson well learned.

“I get it, Ty. You’re right. I just need to pull myself out of the wallowing of self-pity and refocus. Why don’t we do as Sebastian suggested and take a few days to regroup and figure out what we want to do next? I think rereading all the files and seeing what updates Sebastian has will be good for us. There are still nine pups on our list who don’t realize it yet, but they’re counting on us. We can’t let them down, no matter how many times we have to swallow down defeat.”

Tyler smiled at Elijah, letting a yawn stretch his face. His best friend followed suit, and they decided to try and sleep. It didn’t surprise Tyler one bit when, after getting ready for bed, his best friend slipped into his room and slid under the covers.

“Good night, Ty.”

“Goodnight, E.”

Elijah tossed and turned whenever his dreams took a dark turn. Tyler couldn’t stay asleep, waking up with worry whenever Elijah mumbled nonsense.

It was close to dawn when they finally drifted off, exhaustion catching up with them. The dream Tyler found himself ensconced in was disconcerting, to say the least.

In it, he was walking through the big McDen, only it was deserted and the hallways seemed much longer than they were in real life. He kept calling out a name, familiar, but at the same time, not. He shouted it over and over, receiving a low growl in response. Every time he got close to the sound of the growl, it would move further away and he’d start shouting again.

He woke with a start when Elijah shook him. “Ty! Wake up! Wake up dammit!”

Tyler’s eyes opened abruptly, and he bolted upright, startling Elijah. His vision darted about the room, still searching for–something, or someone.

It took a minute before he realized he was in bed at the condo. Elijah was standing next to his side, looking worried. Tyler’s heart was hammering, and his breathing was ragged. He felt like he just ran a mile in under ten minutes.

“Are you okay?” Elijah asked.

Damn. Tyler hadn’t had a dream like that since he was six and his parents had been in a car accident. While neither of them had been hurt, just some bumps and bruises, Tyler later overheard his parents discussing what would happen if they both died. It triggered a six-month bout with night terrors where he would wake up screaming and would be inconsolable for a while after. Tonight’s dream, or nightmare, whatever it was, brought back those feelings of abject helplessness.

“What’s in Boston?” Elijah asked.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You kept yelling ‘Boston! Boston!’”

Tyler racked his brain trying to remember the details of his nightmare, but in true fashion, the tendrils of memories disappeared like wisps of fog as the sun rose, leaving behind residual dampness. That dream dampness wiped out all the details which had been crystal clear in his mind while he was still asleep. He shook his head to clear the remaining cobwebs, then shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t remember.”

“It’s okay. Why don’t you take a shower? I'll start breakfast, then we can figure out what to do from there.”

“Sure,” he replied, already headed across the hall to the bathroom. He did feel better once the hot water washed away the last of his brain fog.

After pulling on clean clothes and towel-drying his hair, he went to the kitchen to grab some coffee. Elijah had a stack of pancakes ready. He piled three on his plate, generously buttered them, and poured a generous amount of pure maple syrup on top. Six kids to feed meant luxuries like pure maple syrup were reserved for special occasions, like birthdays. He relished the sticky goodness, silently giving thanks to Sebastian, or more likely, Reilly, for stocking the cupboard with the real stuff.

He pulled out his phone, tapped his favorite contact, and a genuine smile spread across his face as a familiar voice answered, “Hello, sweetheart!”

“Hi, Mom.”

“How is your trip going?” she asked.

There were days that, no matter how old you were, you just needed to hear your mom’s voice. Today was one of those days, and Tyler cherished the sound.

“It’s good so far, although Elijah just found out the son of an acquaintance of his passed away. He was only fourteen, so it’s tough to hear.”

“Oh, tell him I’m sorry to hear that. Fourteen is too young to be gone.”

“Mmmm, yeah. Elijah didn’t know them well, but it still sucks.”

“So, where are you, boys?”

Tyler chuckled. “Las Vegas.”

“Oh dear, you’re not gambling, are you?”

Elijah snorted in the background. As if.

“No, Mama, no gambling. We’ve only been here a couple of days and we’re ready to head out. This place is a little too much. Too many lights, too much noise. We might head down to the Grand Canyon and get some hiking in before it gets too hot.”

“Well, you boys be careful. Stick to the trails, make sure you have plenty of water, and leave your information with the park rangers, oh and—”

“Mama,” he interrupted. “We’ll be careful. I promise. If it’s too hot, we’ll hang out by the visitor’s center, maybe ride a mule down to the bottom with a group tour thing.”

Mama clucked placatingly. “I know you will. I still worry. I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop. Tell everyone we said hi, and do me a favor?”

“Anything, baby boy.”

“Give Malcolm an extra hug from me?” Malcolm was closest in age to Neall.

“Of course,” she replied, understanding without needing to say anything else.

“Bye, Mama. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Tyler ended the call feeling a helluva lot calmer and centered.

“Were you serious?” Elijah asked.

“About what?”

“The Grand Canyon. Do you want to go see the Grand Canyon?”

Tyler tilted his head. He’d thrown that out there as something plausible to tell Mama to keep her from getting too nosy. Now that he had time to think, it wasn’t a bad idea. Definitely, something to consider.

“Why not? Sebastian did tell us to take a few days to sort ourselves out. We might as well do some sightseeing while we have the chance. I sure as shit don’t want to hang around this place any longer.”

“I’ve always wanted to go there. I’ll see if any campgrounds have availability. I’m pretty sure the sites at the National Park’s campground are booked up a year in advance. I’ll check anyway, you never know. There could be a last-minute cancellation.”

“Why don’t I do that while you grab a shower?” Tyler suggested. He was itching to leave. Now the decision had been made.

“Deal.”

Tyler opened his laptop and pulled up information on campgrounds in and around the Grand Canyon. As suspected, all the sites within the park itself were reserved. He did find a KOA campground about thirty miles from the canyon’s south entrance that had a few sites available. He reserved one and then checked to see what times things were open. If they left within an hour, they could be at the campground by late afternoon, still plenty of daylight left to set up. Sebastian made sure the vans were outfitted with basic camping gear; tents, sleeping bags, cookware, and miscellaneous stuff like flashlights and a first aid kit. There was even a cooler and battery charger. The best part of all? It didn’t take up much room in the cargo area.

After he made the reservation for the campsite, his phone pinged with a notification. Thinking it was the email confirmation, he glanced at his screen, seeing an email from Global Insurance. Curious, he looked at the preview panel. After seeing the subject, he made sure his GPS was turned off, consequences with Sebastian be damned, and opened the email.

Dear Mr. Williamson,

Thank you for submitting samples of your work for consideration. At this time, we regret to inform you there are no openings matching your credentials. We will keep your samples on file for future consideration. Good luck in your future endeavors.

Global Insurance

Marketing and Development Team

Well, what do you know? Rejected by the kitty-cat’s marketing department. Tyler snorted. Not like he’d ever entertain the idea of working for that asshole. Not in a million-fucking-years.

Elijah gave him a wry smile, shaking his head with disgust when he showed him the email.

“Fucking idiots,” he said as they gathered their shit, getting ready to blow this taco stand.

It didn’t take long to repack their stuff and get the van loaded. There was plenty of room in the mini-fridge for the leftover barbeque. Heading out of Vegas was a relief. Barring any traffic, which was a possibility, even in the remote areas of the highway, it should take about four and a half hours to get to the campground. Tourist traffic was unpredictable and things like sudden storms could slow things down, too.

The trip was uneventful, and they stopped in Williams, Arizona to get some food and drinks. Tyler couldn’t help but smile when he saw Elijah grab two bags of marshmallows. No campfire was complete without it. His smile disappeared when he saw a pained look cross Elijah’s face. He knew his friend was thinking of the last camping trip they took. Thoughts of the fun they had with Kage flickered through his memory and he set the giant Hershey bar he grabbed into the cart and pulled Elijah in for a hug.

“Thanks,” he said with a small sniff.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss him, too.” It was true. Tyler had come to like Kage. He was prepared to tolerate him for Elijah’s sake, but the more time they spent together, the more he could see the same goodness that Elijah insisted was there, right from the start.

Tyler didn’t miss the glimmer of wetness in his friend’s eyes as Elijah turned away. “Is there anything else we need?”

He recognized a change of subject when he heard it. “Nope, I think we’re good.”

They paid for their groceries and pushed the cart out to the minivan. Elijah was quiet when they resumed the ride to the campground.

Tyler decided a distraction was necessary. “So, I was thinking that tomorrow we can check in at the train station and see if there are any cancellations for the ride out to the South Rim. It would be a cool way to get there and we wouldn’t have to worry about parking. What do you think?”

Elijah nodded.

Tyler knew when to back off, and this was one of those times. Instead of trying to make conversation, he tried to remember any details from the dream he had this morning. Try as he might, the images which he remembered being so vivid at the time remained elusive. He knew it didn’t mean anything, but it was frustrating because it felt so real.

Elijah snapped out of his funk by the time they reached the campground. Check-in was easy. Tyler followed the map to the tent site they assigned. Stretching as he got out of the van, he could see most of the sites were occupied. Being close to dinnertime, several people were tending to their preparations over the open flames in their fire pits, or on grills. Whatever the case, the scent of burgers, steaks, and chicken permeated the air.

Without needing to be told, he started setting up the four-man tent while Elijah fired up the small, portable propane grill Sebastian thoughtfully provided. Pre-made hamburger patties were soon sizzling away.

Fellow campers drifted by, most stopping for a quick introduction. A community bonfire invite was mentioned by more than one. Overall it seemed like a decent gathering of people. Sometimes, like with everything, it could be hit or miss. They camped next to assholes more than once.

Dinner was ready soon enough. Simple fare; burgers, chips, and a store-bought salad big enough for them to share. Cleanup was just as easy. A large, deep, outdoor sink provided enough room for four people at a time to clean their dishes. They lucked out in the bathroom and shower facilities as well. The building housing those amenities was less than a two-minute walk down the main path. Close enough to be convenient, but far enough for the smell not to reach them. Win-win.

When darkness fell, they grabbed a bucket and filled it with ice from the big washtub one of the other campers had thoughtfully topped off at the rec center next to the main office. They hauled it back on a sturdy Radio Flyer red wagon, a staple of most families’ camping gear.

It was fun to swap stories, and most of all, set aside all of the worries and anxiety which plagued them the past week. It was after midnight when they turned in and thankfully, Tyler drifted into a deep sleep. If he had any dreams or nightmares, they were forgotten, long before he ever woke up.